Call Me By Your Name

by André Aciman

Two words from him, and I had seen my pouting apathy change into I’ll play anything for you till you ask me to stop, till it’s time for lunch, till the skin on my fingers wears off layer after layer, because I like doing things for you, will do anything for you, just say the word, I liked you from day one, and even when you’ll return ice for my renewed offers of friendship, I’ll never forget that this conversation occurred between us and that there are easy ways to bring back summer in the snowstorm.

“Because I thought you should know.”

“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine,”

Perhaps we were friends first and lovers second. But then perhaps this is what lovers are.

I believe with every cell in my body that every cell in yours must not, must never, die, and if it does have to die, let it die inside my body.